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Page 12
"Come, come, come," shouted Gavrila from the yard, "mind what you're
about."
Gerasim stood without stirring in his doorway. The crowd gathered at the
foot of the stairs. Gerasim, with his arms akimbo, looked down at all
these poor creatures in German coats; in his red peasant's shirt he
looked like a giant before them. Gavrila took a step forward.
"Mind, mate," said he, "don't be insolent."
And he began to explain to him by signs that the mistress insists on
having his dog; that he must hand it over at once, or it would be the
worse for him.
Gerasim looked at him, pointed to the dog, made a motion with his hand
round his neck, as though he were pulling a noose tight, and glanced
with a face of inquiry at the steward.
"Yes, yes," the latter assented, nodding; "yes, just so."
Gerasim dropped his eyes, then all of a sudden roused himself and
pointed to Mumu, who was all the while standing beside him, innocently
wagging her tail and pricking up her ears inquisitively. Then he
repeated the strangling action round his neck and significantly struck
himself on the breast, as though announcing he would take upon himself
the task of killing Mumu.
"But you'll deceive us," Gavrila waved back in response.
Gerasim looked at him, smiled scornfully, struck himself again on the
breast, and slammed to the door.
They all looked at one another in silence.
"What does that mean?" Gavrila began. "He's locked himself in."
"Let him be, Gavrila Andreitch," Stepan advised; "he'll do it if he's
promised. He's like that, you know. . . . If he makes a promise, it's a
certain thing. He's not like us others in that. The truth's the truth
with him. Yes, indeed."
"Yes," they all repeated, nodding their heads, "yes--that's so--yes."
Uncle Tail opened his window, and he too said, "Yes."
"Well, may be, we shall see," responded Gavrila; "any way, we won't take
off the guard. Here you, Eroshka!" he added, addressing a poor fellow in
a yellow nankeen coat, who considered himself to be a gardener, "what
have you to do? Take a stick and sit here, and if anything happens, run
to me at once!"
Eroshka took a stick, and sat down on the bottom stair. The crowd
dispersed, all except a few inquisitive small boys, while Gavrila went
home and sent word through Liubov Liubimovna to the mistress that
everything had been done, while he sent a postilion for a policeman in
case of need. The old lady tied a knot in her handkerchief, sprinkled
some eau-de-Cologne on it, sniffed at it, and rubbed her temples with
it, drank some tea, and, being still under the influence of the
cherrybay drops, fell asleep again.
An hour after all this hubbub the garret door opened, and Gerasim showed
himself. He had on his best coat; he was leading Mumu by a string.
Eroshka moved aside and let him pass. Gerasim went to the gates. All the
small boys in the yard stared at him in silence. He did not even turn
round; he only put his cap on in the street. Gavrila sent the same
Eroshka to follow him and keep watch on him as a spy. Eroshka, seeing
from a distance that he had gone into a cookshop with his dog, waited
for him to come out again.
Gerasim was well known at the cookshop, and his signs were understood.
He asked for cabbage soup with meat in it, and sat down with his arms on
the table. Mumu stood beside his chair, looking calmly at him with her
intelligent eyes. Her coat was glossy; one could see she had just been
combed down. They brought Gerasim the soup. He crumbled some bread into
it, cut the meat up small, and put the plate on the ground. Mumu began
eating in her usual refined way, her little muzzle daintily held so as
scarcely to touch her food. Gerasim gazed a long while at her; two big
tears suddenly rolled from his eyes; one fell on the dog's brow, the
other into the soup. He shaded his face with his hand. Mumu ate up half
the plateful, and came away from it, licking her lips. Gerasim got up,
paid for the soup, and went out, followed by the rather perplexed
glances of the waiter. Eroshka, seeing Gerasim, hid round a corner, and
letting him get in front, followed him again.
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